British Airways and Thomson have reiterated their confidence in the Boeing
Dreamliner, despite fears that the aircraft could be grounded for longer
than first thought.

Japan’s transport ministry announced yesterday that safety inspectors had found no faults with the 787’s battery. It was initially believed to be the most likely source of the aircraft's recent problems, but now other components are being investigated.

Zafar Khan, a Societe Generale aviation analyst, told the BBC that the finding may “prolong” the grounding.

“If it's not the battery then we are back to the drawing board," he said. "We know it's an electrical - and not a structural - issue and that will be the focus for the inspectors. But there's a lot of cabling on these aircraft.”

However, the first British carriers due to take delivery of the Dreamliner say they are expecting to launch their services on time, and remain confident of the aircraft’s safety.

A spokesman for Thomson Airways said it was still due to receive its first 787 at the end of February, as scheduled, and was still expecting to fly the aircraft commercially from May 1, on routes from Manchester, Gatwick, Glasgow and East Midlands to Florida and Mexico.

“We are absolutely confident in the safety of the Dreamliner,” he added. “We have an impeccable safety record and the safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority.”

The airline has outstanding orders for eight 787s in total – a further five will be delivered to parent company TUI.

British Airways – which has ordered 24 Dreamliners – said it was still committed to taking delivery of its first 787 later this year, and of launching flights in 2014.

“The safety and security of our customers will always be at the heart of our operation and all our business decisions,” said a spokesman. “We are confident that any safety concerns will be fully addressed by Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as part of their recently announced review into the aircraft.”